‘Really?’… Zak Brown surprises interviewer with McLaren team orders stance at Singapore Grand Prix

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McLaren are looking to extend their lead in the constructors’ championship at the Singapore Grand Prix this weekend. They sit atop the table for the first time in 10 years after leapfrogging Red Bull in Azerbaijan.

Oscar Piastri’s victory and Lando Norris’ fourth place earned a 37-point haul for Zak Brown’s squad. With Sergio Perez crashing out late on and Max Verstappen only fifth, they’re now 20 ahead of Red Bull.

Winning that title – which would remarkably be McLaren’s first of the 21st century – may be the priority in the final seven races. But Norris remains in contention for the drivers’ championship.

Norris chipped another three points from Max Verstappen’s lead last time out as he set the fastest lap. With three Sprints still remaining, the gap is down to 59.

Up to this point, Norris hasn’t been gaining at the rate required to put serious pressure on Verstappen. But McLaren seem to have the best car in F1 right now and Red Bull are grappling with handling issues.

Ahead of the Azerbaijan GP, McLaren confirmed they would prioritise Norris’ title bid at the potential expense of Piastri. But team orders were never on the agenda during the race after the former’s shock Q1 exit, which forced him to come back through the field.

Zak Brown says McLaren would be reluctant to ask Oscar Piastri to sacrifice Singapore Grand Prix win

Piastri is the form driver in F1. He’s finished either first or second in four of the last five races.

There’s a very real chance, then, that he’ll be leading the Singapore GP, with Norris second. In an interview after FP1, Sky Sports F1’s Simon Lazenby asked Brown whether McLaren would swap their cars in that circumstance.

Doing so would net another seven points for Norris, which could be crucial in his scrap with Verstappen. But Brown suspects that the 24-year-old wouldn’t approve.

This surprised Lazenby, who expected a more ruthless stance given the opportunity lying before the team. Lewis Hamilton was their last drivers’ champion back in 2008.

Brown said: “Ultimately that’ll be Andrea’s call. I think handing off a race win’s a pretty difficult thing to do. So you have to look at the circumstances.”

Lazenby then interrupted: “Really? When there’s a championship at stake?”

And Brown replied: “Well we’ll take it one race at a time. That’s a pretty big ask of a Grand Prix driver. I think Lando wants to win the championship if he can the right way.”

Did Zak Brown contradict Andrea Stella on McLaren team orders?

Speaking before the Azerbaijan GP, Andrea Stella said Piastri would give up a win if required. He held talks with the Australian in the days leading up to the race.

But Brown’s latest comments suggest McLaren may stop short of such action. This could be good news for Verstappen.

The team came under fire following the Hungarian GP, when they insisted that Norris hand the lead back to Piastri. Jacques Villeneuve felt McLaren showed ‘real weakness’ in that moment.

Verstappen hasn’t won any of the last seven races, but his lead has only come down by 10 points in that time. He and Red Bull have, in a sense, shown themselves to be winners even when they haven’t had the car to compete.